Spindle-support for spinning machinery



(No Model.)

S. BATES, E. I". SHAW 8v G. M. VON GULIN.

SPINDLE SUPPORT POR SPINNING MACHINERY. No. 416,287.

Patented Deo.,3, 1889.

l I l r l l n.

e Aw s UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

STOCKTON BATES, EDWIN F. SI-IAIT, AAND GEORGE M. VON CULIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPINDLE-SUPPORT FOR SPINNING MACHINERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 41G,8'7, dated December 3, 1889.

Application filed July 27, 1889. Serial No. 318,827. (No model.) i

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, STooKToN BATES,ED WIN F. SHAW, and GEORGE M. VON CULIN,

citizens of the United States, residing at' Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented. certainnew and usefulllnprovenients in Spinwhich it appertainsto make and use the saine.

Our invention relates to spindle-supports fastened to the bolster-rail of a spinningmachine and it consists in certain construc- Y tions, combinations, and'arrangenients of ,parts hereinafter fully described and specically claimed, whereby novel and durable' spindle-bearings are produced.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure l. is

a vertical transverse section through a bolster-rail and through the center of the spin- (lle-support, the spindle and its foot-bearing being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of the bolsterrail and the upper portion of the spindle-support. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section in they line o@ of Fig.l. Fig. et is a horizontal section in the line y y of Fig. l. Fig. 5 is a top View of the spindle, spindle-support, and fastening-nut and Washer. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section in the line e' .e of Fig. l. Fig.7 is a perspective view of the main portion of the bolster-bearing. Fig. 8 isa broken section of the rail and broken elevation of the upper tubular portion of the spindle-support and spindle and adjuncts. Eig. 9 is an enlarged broken horizontal section through the tubular portion of the upper section of the spindie-support, the bearing therein, andthe spindle. Fig. l0 is a broken vertical section through the parts shown in Fig. 9.

The letter A in the drawings represents a bolster-rail, B a spindle-support, and C a spindle. The spindle-support is fastened to the rail A by inserting the tubular portion b of the upper section of the supporting-case in one of the holes a of the rail and applying a nut b to the threaded end portion b2 of the said upper tubular portion b and drawing it 0n until a shoulder b3, formed on the said upper section at the end of said tubular portion, is drawn tight to the rail. Between the nut b and rail A a tin or other thin washer a2 is interposed, which tits the tubular portion b tightly and closes the hole a, perfectly. Below the shoulder b3 the upper section of the case is formed as a yoke h4, which is provided with a lower inverted conical end portion b9.

Into the tubular upper portion b of the spindle-support the upper bearing D of the spindle is inserted. This bearing D is of tubular form, with outer longitudinal ribs d, forming channel-depressions and fitting the bore of the spindle-support, its upper termination d being of tubular form and of the same diameter as said bore. the portion d is formed with an annular groove d2 and a central tubular extension d3, the `groove being provided with oil-passages (Z4 d, those d4 being vertical in the portion d and opening into corresponding channels between the ribs d, and those d5 being oblique and opening into theinterior space or bore of the bearing D.

Through each passage d4 a lubricant-controlling means, as a wick or a series of wicks w, is passed, said Wick or wicks extending from one passage to the other by way of the annular groove d2, as shown, and also-down between the ribs d and through passages b in the spindle-support into an annular reser- Voir ZW, formed within the shoulder b3 of said support. By this construction, the oil which is deposited in the reservoir 117 is drawn up by the capillary attraction of the Wick or wicks through one or more passages, as d4, into the annular groove d2, whencel it is drawn through the passage d5 to the spindle C by means of the revolution of said spindle. A portion of this oil descends to the lower end of the bearing D and supplies the lower bearing G and step-bearing H of the spindle, as Will behereinafter seen from the description of the said parts. Below one of the oil-passages CZ5 and between corresponding ribs (l the metal is, from top to bottoni of the ribs,

partly removed from the tubular bearing D,

so as to forin a vertical oblong seat-recess, with bottoni and top shoulders dw d", and thin sheet-metal portions, which, on their outer surfaces are straight and tangential to The top surface of the bore of said bearing; and between these thin portions of metal, centrally, an oblong slot d is cut, the same being of a less width than the recess. A plate of glass or hardened metal E is placed upon said thin portions of metal ot' the bearing with its face-marginal portions bearing thereon and its major intermediate portion standing opposite the slot, and withits median bearing-line on the inner side of the plate concentric with the bore of the bearing l).

Behind and in contact with the plate E a cushioningstrip, of wood or other suitable equivalent resilient substance e, is placed in such manner that the space between the plate and the bore of the tubular portion i) is occupied by said strip, said strip bearing lrnily against the inner surface of said tubular portion h and against the back of said plate, and exerting a slightly-yielding pressure against the plate E when the bearing is driven home into said support with a force sufficient to crowd the fibers of the strip more compactly together, and thereby insuring the retention of the bearing in position by the frictional bind ol' the resilient cushioning strip against the said support and the said plate E during the rapid revolutions of the spindle.

lhe bearing with the wood cushioning-strip c in the channel is applied through the top of the spindle-support, so that it maybe readily and conveniently withdrawn therefrom in an upward direction without disturbing the said support from its position on the rail. By reason of the strip bearing outwardly against the inner surface of the upper tubular portion Z) of.,

the spindle-support and inwardly against the plate E said plate is caused to bearvery close against the spindle C, and the spindle in turn to bear so tightly in the bore of the bearing that it will require a slight force to turn it by hand when the driving-cord K is not on the whirl F of the spindle; but when the drivingcord is applied to the whirl the tension of said cord,which is on a line at right angles to the face of the plate and toward the plate, will cause the spindle to become eased in its bearing contact sui'iieiently all around, except at the median line of the tangential plate, to enable it to run freely without undue frictional wear, and at said median line the spindle will be caused to bear positively and centrally upon the plate E, and, while this is so, the spindle runs perfectly true, as the plate E does not readily wear away nor change its proper strictly tangential position with respect to the inner cylindrical bearing-surface D, it being rendered enduring by its glass or steel nature and held bythe cushion of wood with its median bearing-line concentric with the bore of the bearing, thus reducing to the minimum the friction due to the contact between the spindle and said bearing D at all points outside the innitesimally narrow line of contact of the spindle with the harden ed plate E. The wearing friction of the revolving spindle being thus rendered practically uniform all around and reduced to the minimum, the bore of the bearing will remain truly cylindrical and not be liable to be worn ovally or out of a truly-cylindrical shape, as is common with ordinary spindle-bearin gs, and as the plate E is of a nature to prevent rapid wearing the bearing will be very enduring and perfect in its functions. It should be stated that while the strip E is constructed of wood or equivalent material solid enough to prevent the forcing of the plate E by the tension of the cord and lateral pressure of the spindle out of the proper tangential position, which keeps its median bearing-line concentric with the bore of the bearing D, said plate is in a sense, on account of its texture, elastic or resilient, but only to such a degree as will enable it to hold the bearing in position and deaden and absorb the hammer-like blows of the spindle caused by the knot of the band passing around the whirl.

Between the line of bearing on the plate E on the vertical sides of the slot d two vertical parallel triangular spaces di exist when the spindle is in place, and these become filled with oil and furnish a constant and ample supply of lubricant to the bearing at the median line of the plate, thereby preventing undue abrasion of the surface of the spindle by the hard plate E.

About midway ot the heightl of the bearing D and diametrically opposite the plate E an opening d is provided in the bearing, which affords communication between the spindle and channel d10, formed also in said bearing,

`and conducts and discharges the gummy and dirty portions of the lubricant into said channel, from whence they can be removed by withdrawing the bearing D from the upper tubular portion of the bolster. The bore of the supporting-case terminates with a lower inner shoulder (J8, upon which rests the rib portion of the bearing D, and through which protrudes a tubular end portion d" of said bearin g into the yoke b below. This end portion extends into a cylindrical chamber f', formed in the upper part of the whirl F, into which the oil descending from the bearing D is discharged.

In order to prevent the oil from being thrown outof the chamber f by reason of centrifugal force, and in order to keep dirt and fuzz from entering the same, the chamber f has a closed top having a small annular space f2 around the end portion d, thus preventing the oil from being drawn from the said end portion and spreading over the whirl. The whirl is provided with two vertical openings f3, which conduct the oil into a chamber f4, formed in the lower section of the spindle-support, and in order to prevent the oil from being thrown about below the whirl by centrifugal force a tubular rim is formed on the bottom of the whirl, forming a chamber f6, into which the passages f 3discharge the descending oil. The chamber f4 is closed at the top just enough IOO ITO

to leave a small annular space t5 around the rim f5, whereby oil is prevented from being thrown out upon the lower section of the spindle-support and dirt and fuzz are kept away from the oil. The conical end portion Z912 of the spindle-support contains alateral spindlebearing G and a foot or step bearing H. The spindle-,bearing G has a'cylindrical bore from the top down to about the point g, which tits the spindle perfectly; but from the pointg downward the bore may be slightly tapered or conical and vstand away from the conical portion ot the spindle, forming an annular oil-space 1913 around it. The upper end portion gL1 of the bearing G extends into the chambers f4 and f6, and, nearly touching the inner surface of the wall of the chamber f6, receives upon its upper beveled edge g4 the greater portion ot the o'il descending' thereon and conducts it, inwardly to the spindle. A portion of said descending oil works its way between the portion g4 and rim f5, and is finally collected in the chamber f4, and from'there conducted to the spindle by means hereinafter mentioned.

rlhe foot portion c of the spindle is fitted in the lower portion g' of the spindle-bearing G, and the foot c of the spindle, which is flat or spheroidal, rests looselT upon the flat surface of the step-bearing H, which is made of glass or other hard material, tluted or ribbed vertically on its periphery; and thus, while the spindle is kept vertically true by its two upper bearings and itis free to revolve, its extreme foot end is left free to play horizontally on top of the foot-bearing H. If the spindle should be fitted at its lower end in a socket in the bearing H, as commonly, its lower end would operate antagonistic to the two upper bearings, which alone determine the proper vertical position of the spindle above the ltwo sections of the spindle-support. Itis not an easy'thingto keep the bearingpoints of the spindle in perfect alignment vertically. Were the lower end of the spindle inserted in the step more or less and the step-block made small enough in diameter to be free to move laterally and all around the spindles normal center of rotation, as is sometimes done, a certain amount of resistance would be encountered, and this would prove destructive to the necessary perfect liberty of the lower endof the spindle to move around its geometrical center, this being due to the inertia of the block and the resistance of the accumulated oil, detritus, and dirt that iind their way down around the said step-block after a short period of fast running of the spindle, such causes preventing the self-adjustment of said block in accordance with the requirements of the two upper fixed bearings. The lower portion of our spindle, as constructed and made to rest` loosely on the step-block, always runs freely in a comparatively large mass of oil, there being ample room around the step-block, by

reason of its ribbed surface, for the gummy oil and detritus to pass into the refuse-oil chamber b9, from whence it can be removed through the passage closed by the drain-plug Z910. The upper portion of the spindle-bearing G is very snuggly fitted into the spindle-support, while the lower portion has its outer diameter reduced` preferably on a downward taper, as shown, so as to allow play of that part of the spindle-bearing. Oil-passages g2 are provided in the spindle-bearing G, in line with the bottom of the chamber f4, and below at suitable distances felt or other pads a may be inserted into the spindle-bearing for the purpose of retarding the downward liow of oil. By this construction the lower tapered or conical portion of the spindle is kept laterally steady under ordinary circumstances but if by accident the spindle should become slightly crooked the lower portion g of the bearing G gyrates with the lower portion of the spindle without affecting the upper portion c2 of the spindle in its true movement, which movement is preserved by the cylindrical bearings above and below the whirl.

Below the step-bearing H a small chamber b9 is provided in the lower section of the spindle-support for the collection of stiff and dirty oil, and at the bottom of this chamber is a screw-threaded drain-passage closed by a plug 1910, entered from the outside of the bottom of the spindle-bearing, as shown. A small greater diameter than the spindle, and when the lid is on the spindle it is free to assume inclined positions, and its outer rim i underneath being sloping it can be easily lifted with the tube of an oil-can, as the dotted lines in Fig. 8 show.`

The spindle-support is represented as divisible, being united by screw-threads at hn; but our invention is not confined thereto, as a single solid spindle-support will answer as well for the adaptation of our invention as the one shown.

The top of the whirl is provided with a leather washer j, Vover which a spring J is placed, which is fastened to the spindle-support by means of a screw j or otherwise suitably, and terminates with an inclined handle portion y2. By depressing said spring upon the washerj the motion of the spindle will be arrested, and a broken thread can easily be leunited while the spindle is thus held still. This construction has the advantage of applying the pressure upon the spindle in the line of ils axis instead of in a transverse direction, as in the old modes, where the pressure is applied upon the rimsof the whirl in a manner to strain the spindle-bearings and sometimes bend the spindle. This spindle-support is applicable to various kinds of spinning and twisting machines with or without spools.

What we claim is- IOO IIO`

l. A spindle-support provided with a hard tangential bearingplate E, substantially as described.

2. In combination with a spindle, the spindle-support havin a bearing D, provided with an oblong slot d, oil-spaces (ll, a resilient cushion e, and a tangential bearing-plate E, substantially as described.

The combination, with a spindle, of a spindle-support D, provided with a tangential bearing-plate E, anda frictional holdingl wood backing or cushion e, substantially as described.

4. The spindle-bearing D, having ribs fornr ing` channel depressions, annular groove d?, lubrieation-passages d* d?, means for controlling the flow of the lubricant, and a tubular projection il, in combination with the upper tubular portion b of the spindle-support having passages b and a lubricating-reservoir bl, substantially as described.

5. The bearing D, having tubular proj eetion d", spindle C, and whirl F, having chambersf f, and passages f3, in combination with the spindle-bearing G, having inner beveled upper end portion g4, substantially as described.

G. The spindle C, Whirl F,having chambers f f6, and passagesfin combination with the spindle-su p port B, having chamber f4, bearing G, having inner beveled upper end portion g, and bearing H, substantially as described.

7. Aspindle C, having a flat-foot bearing surface and cylindrical bearing-surfaces above and below the whirl, in combination with the fiat-faced bearing-block H and bearings above and below the Whirl, substantially as described.

8. The combination of spindle C, a rigid bearing above the Whirl, a rigid bearing below the \vl1irl,and a liorizontally-yiclding bearing g', substantially as described.

i). The spindle C, in combination with a spindle-support having an upper rigid bearing and a at'foot bearing, substantially as described.

l0. The combination of the spindle C, spindles11pport B, having a plugged drain-passage at the lower end thereof, chambers b, oilspaee D13, and bearings D G 1I, the latter bearing being tinted, and the whirl F, having chamberj'" and passages f3, substantially as described.

1l. The spindle C, and spindle-support ll, having yoke b4, in combination With a spring J and a whirl F, the spring being depressible upon the Whirl, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

STOCKTON BATES. EINVIN F. SIIAV. GEORGE M. VON CULIN. Witnesses:

FRANCIS LECLRC, WM. 1I. Woon. 

